FACT CHECK: Does Video Show Helicopter Fighting The Current Fires In California?
A post shared on social media purportedly shows a video of a helicopter lifting water out of the Pacific Ocean to fight the current fires in Los Angeles.
🚨#BREAKING: Tanker planes are now scooping up water out of the Pacific Ocean and dropping it on the Palisades fire.
The peak winds are still 12 hours away and 3 school districts have been evacuated. pic.twitter.com/l3PARQHRvN
— Matt Van Swol (@matt_vanswol) January 7, 2025
Verdict: False
The video dates back to 2019.
Fact Check:
President Joe Biden has announced that federal funding will go to California, but President-elect Donald Trump will be taking office in the coming days, NPR reported. Many lawmakers have called for there to be conditions attached to the funding, such as Sen. Ron Johnson, who claimed that California fire security was mismanaged in the lead up to the fire.
A post shared on X purportedly shows a video of a helicopter taking water out of the ocean to help douse the flames in California. The video shows the view from the helicopter as it flies over a residential area to a fire.
The caption reads, “#BREAKING: Tanker planes are now scooping up water out of the Pacific Ocean and dropping it on the Palisades fire. The peak winds are still 12 hours away and 3 school districts have been evacuated.”
The claim is inaccurate. The video dates back to at least 2019 when it was shared on social media by Los Angeles County Fire Department’s Air Operations. (RELATED: No, Firefighters In LA Are Not Fighting Wildfires Using ‘Handbags’)
VIDEO: @LACoFireAirOps Firehawk helicopter lines up to drop water on the #PalisadesFire as it threatened homes earlier. We can’t stress enough the importance of defensible space. To learn more, visit https://t.co/Px9oJpURIs (media, ok to use with credit) @LAFD @LAFDtalk pic.twitter.com/i9iYlMk5Hm
— LACoFireAirOps (@LACoFireAirOps) October 22, 2019
The video was taken in the Palisades, but is not current. The Los Angeles Fire Department reported that the Oct. 2019 fire was arson. One civilian and 3 first responders were injured.
Aircrafts are also being used to fight the current fires in California. KTLA 5 shared video of tankers collecting water.
This is not the first time misinformation surrounding the fires has circulated online. Check Your Fact recently debunked a claim a video showed people looting during the disaster.
